Georgia Football: 5 potential captain candidates this spring

4. JR Reed

Be honest, did you know who JR Reed was when the season started? I had a vague idea, but I had never even heard of the guy until fall camp was underway. A transfer from Tulsa, most people thought that Reed was given a spot to help bring in star recruit DeAngelo Gibbs. A year later, it looks like Reed is going to be a stud and Gibbs is going to need some time.

I have to give a lot of credit to Reed. Even Kirby Smart said that he never realized that he could be as good as he has been back when they signed him. That’s a testament to just how hard the guy has worked since he got into the UGA program. He has shown that it’s not where you come from that matters on this team. It’s about how hard you work and how well you play.

That background is one of the reasons I think that Reed is a natural leader for this team next year. With so many hyped recruits now in the program, it’s great to see a guy who wasn’t even ranked in the top 1500 players in his class hold down a starting position.

Reed beat out higher ranked and rated players to take the strong safety spot. I fully expect him to do the same in 2018 and I also expect him to take a lot of the younger players under his wing. As one of the more experienced players on this team, I think Reed will play a vital role in getting this team ready for next season.

I also think that Reed will be a great mentor for Richard LeCounte. The latter is favored to win the other safety spot and made an impact in his freshman season. LeCounte is a natural leader who should become a real force for UGA in 2018. Look for him as well to step up more and more as the year goes on from a leadership perspective.